Sex differences in the sustained attention of elementary school children

Abstract

Background: The study investigates sex differences in sustained attention among children. Methods: Forty-five children (23 girls) from Grades 2–5 (mean age of 7.47 ± 0.73 years) wore an actigraph for a continuous five to seven days including school and non-school days. Sustained attention using the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) was measured twice a day on two school days and on one non-school day. Results: No sex differences were found for sleep patterns. However, sex differences in PVT performance were documented. While boys were faster (shorter reaction time) and showed fewer lapses than girls, they showed higher number of false starts than girls, on both weekdays and weekends. Conclusions: The findings suggest that sex differences should been taken into account in studies investigating neurobehavioral functioning, particularly, sustained attention across various age groups.